Boeun | Chungcheongbuk-do | Korea

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Beopjusa Temple

Temple

Beopjusa Temple is one of the main temples of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism located within Songnisan National Park in the province of Chungcheongbuk-do.

The temple complex contains 3 National treasures, 12 so called miscellaneous treasures, numerous cultural heritage items and the temple itself is a Korean Monument.

One of the unique treasures is the Palsangjeon Wooden Pagoda, National Treasure No.55. Palsangjeon is a five story wooden structure and the only wooden pagoda left standing in South Korea. It was originally built in the year 553 but, as so many wooden buildings, it burned down. Fortunately it was rebuilt in 1968 to its former glory. The name of Palsangjeon came from the eight different paintings inside the building about the life of Shakyamuni Buddha.

Another Korean National Treasure, No. 915, at Beopjusa is Daeungbojeon Hall. With its floor size of 402.80 m2, 19 meters height and enshrined inside a Buddha triad, Vairocana, Rocana and Sakyamuni it is one of the most impressive Buddhist worship halls in Korea.

On a cliff right next to the complex one can find "Ma aeyeorae uisang", a meters high rock-carved seated Buddha on a lotus flower. The carving has degraded over time but the original outline is still sharp and beautiful.

Another rather amazing item at the temple is a huge iron pot. It is 1.2 meters in height, 2.7 meters in diameter, 10 cm thick and weighs an astonishing 20 tons. This iron pot was used to cook rice, 40 bags of 80kg at a time, to feed the approximately 3,000 monks that lived at the temple in the Goryeo dynasty (918 CE to 1392 CE).